Lewis Hamilton: The King of Rain? Think Again

Sebastian Vettel stormed to victory in the rain yet again, delivering a flawless performance as other drivers struggled to stay on track; most notably Lewis Hamilton, who prior to the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix had been enjoying a considerable amount of praise for his wet weather driving abilities and was considered by a large number of fans to be the current "rain king" on the grid.

As a Massa fan, I had to withstand a great deal of excessively negative criticism toward his British Grand Prix performance in 2008, defending against claims that he lacked the skill to be an F1 driver, or that he was unable to drive without traction control.

This burden will now be handed over to Hamilton fans as they present their defences against Hamilton's lackluster performance today in the rain. Hamilton, who spun an embarrassing four times, had the repercussions of his faulty driving diminished by various factors.

Firstly, the presence of the safety car enabled him to close in on the gap he created between the drivers ahead of him. Secondly, his car was one of the few cars equipped with KERS, helping him cover some of the ground he repeatedly put forth.

Lastly, he was lucky enough to have a massive amount of fuel on board which enabled him to make up some distance while his other competitors were pitting.

In conclusion, luck was on his side, but talent was in the hands of the newly reinforced king of the rain Sebastian Vettel.